4340 Bloor Street West – Zoning By-Law Amendment Application – Preliminary Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
REPORT FOR ACTION 4340 Bloor Street West – Zoning By-Law Amendment Application – Preliminary Report Date: April 28, 2021 To: Etobicoke York Community Council From: Acting Director, Community Planning, Etobicoke York District Ward: 2 - Etobicoke Centre Planning Application Number: 20 222977 WET 02 OZ Notice of Complete Application Issued: February 8, 2021 Current Use(s) on Site: The subject site currently contains a 15-storey, 86-unit rental apartment building with surface and underground parking. SUMMARY This report provides information and identifies a preliminary set of issues regarding the application to amend City-wide Zoning By-law No. 569-2013 and former City of Etobicoke Zoning Code for the property located at 4340 Bloor Street West. The applicant proposes a residential development consisting of a 16-storey apartment building (50.5 metres in height) with a 6-storey podium (20.5 metres) on the western portion of the site, and a 4-storey apartment building (14.1 metres) on the eastern portion of the site. The existing 15-storey apartment building (44.5 metres) on the site, containing 86 rental units, would be maintained. A total of 308 new residential units and 22,023 m2 new Gross Floor Area is proposed, resulting in a total site Gross Floor Area of 30,788 m2 and a total site Floor Space Index (FSI) of 3.06 (up from 0.87 currently). Parking would be provided in a new garage below grade. Staff are currently reviewing the application. It has been circulated to all appropriate agencies and City divisions for comment. Staff will proceed to schedule a community consultation meeting for the application with the Ward Councillor. RECOMMENDATIONS The City Planning Division recommends that: 1. Staff schedule a community consultation meeting for the application located at 4340 Bloor Street West together with the Ward Councillor. Staff Report for Action - Preliminary Report - 4340 Bloor Street West Page 1 of 18 2. Notice for the community consultation meeting be given to landowners and residents within 120 metres of the application site, and to additional residents, institutions and owners to be determined in consultation with the Ward Councillor, with any additional mailing costs to be borne by the applicant. FINANCIAL IMPACT The City Planning Division confirms that there are no financial implications resulting from the recommendations included in this report in the current budget year or in future years. ISSUE BACKGROUND Pre-Application Consultation Pre-application consultation meetings were held with the applicant in April 2019 and August 2020 to discuss complete application submission requirements and to identify issues with the proposed development. Staff raised concerns with respect to setbacks, built form, massing, height, density, access and parking. The current submission is generally comparable to these previous concepts, with a low- rise building in the east and a tower in the west, and the existing building retained in the centre of the site. Application Description This application proposes to amend the former City of Etobicoke Zoning Code and City- wide Zoning By-law No. 569-2013 for the property at 4340 Bloor Street West to permit a residential development consisting of a 16-storey apartment building with a 6-storey podium on the western portion of the site, and a 4-storey apartment building on the eastern portion of the site. The existing 15-storey apartment building in the middle of the site, containing 86 rental units, would be maintained. The application proposes the addition of 308 new residential units with 243 units in the 16-storey tower and 65 units in the 4-storey building. This would result in a total of 394 existing and proposed residential units. The new residential units would be comprised of: 6 bachelor units (2%); 154 one-bedroom units (50%); 115 two-bedroom units (37%); and 33 three-bedroom units (11%). The average unit sizes as proposed are: bachelor units 40 m2; one-bedroom units 53 m2; two-bedroom units 72 m2; and three-bedroom units 87 m2. There would be 22,023 m2 of new Gross Floor Area added to the site, for a total site Gross Floor Area of 30,788 m2. The density is proposed to increase from 0.87 times the area of the lot to 3.06 times the area of the lot. The proposed west building forms a C-shape, with the tower portion of the building in the middle and two lower podium buildings attached at the north and south end. The south podium would front Bloor Street West, the north podium would run parallel to the north property line, adjacent to Millwood Junior School, and the tower would be aligned Staff Report for Action - Preliminary Report - 4340 Bloor Street West Page 2 of 18 with the west property line adjacent Millwood Park. The tower portion of the west building would have a floor plate of 750m2. The proposed 4-storey building is situated east of the existing tower and extends along the entire Mill Road frontage of the property. The building slightly curves at the north and south end with small “wings”. In addition to the amenity space in the existing building, the proposal includes 709m2 of outdoor amenity space to be located on the north podium roof of the west building and in the courtyard in front of the tower. A total of 739m2 new indoor amenity space is proposed on the ground floor of both new buildings and the 7th floor of the proposed tower. A total of 418 parking spaces are proposed including 30 visitor parking spaces. The proposal seeks to remove the existing surface parking that occupies the western portion of the site and replace it with two new levels of below grade parking. There is one Type G loading space proposed, located at the front of the south wing of the west building. A total of 210 bicycle parking spaces are proposed to be distributed in the two new buildings on the ground floor. There is no change proposed to the location of the vehicular access which is in front of the existing building, on Bloor Street West. Detailed project information is found on the City's Application Information Centre at: https://www.toronto.ca/city-government/planning-development/application-information- centre/ See Attachments 1 and 2 of this report, for a three dimensional representation of the project in context and Attachment 3 for the Site Plan. Site and Surrounding Area The subject site is located at the north west corner of Bloor Street West and Mill Road. (see Attachment 3: Location Map). The site is rectangular in shape and is currently occupied by a 15-storey apartment building. The site is approximately 10,062 m2 in size with a lot frontage of 129 m on Bloor Street West, and a lot depth of 71 m. Surrounding land uses include: North: Millwood Junior School and the Toronto Millwood YMCA Child Care Centre. Further north is a low-rise residential area comprised of 1-2 storey detached dwellings designated Neighbourhoods. West: Millwood Park which provides a number of recreational facilities including ball diamonds and tennis courts. Further to the west there is a 13-storey apartment building at 210 Markland Drive, and beyond that is Markland Wood Golf Club, designated as Parks. Staff Report for Action - Preliminary Report - 4340 Bloor Street West Page 3 of 18 East: The east side of the subject property fronts onto Millwood Road, further east there are 1-2 storey residential designated as Neighbourhoods. South: On the south side of Bloor Street West is Markland Wood Plaza, designated as Mixed Use. To the south west and further to the south are low-rise residential areas and to the south east is Saint Clement Catholic School, all designated as Neighbourhoods. Provincial Policy Statement and Provincial Plans Any decision of Council related to this application is required to be consistent with the Provincial Policy Statement (2020) (the "PPS"), and to conform with applicable Provincial Plans which, in the case of the City of Toronto, include: A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020). The PPS and all Provincial Plans may be found on the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing website. Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020) A Place to Grow: Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe (2020) (the "Growth Plan (2020)") came into effect on August 28, 2020. This new plan replaces the previous Growth Plan for the Greater Golden Horseshoe, 2019. The Growth Plan (2020) continues to provide a strategic framework for managing growth and environmental protection in the Greater Golden Horseshoe region, of which the City forms an integral part. The Growth Plan (2020) establishes policies that require implementation through a Municipal Comprehensive Review (MCR), which is a requirement pursuant to Section 26 of the Planning Act. Policies not expressly linked to a MCR can be applied as part of the review process for development applications, in advance of the next MCR. These policies include: • Directing municipalities to make more efficient use of land, resources and infrastructure to reduce sprawl, contribute to environmental sustainability and provide for a more compact built form and a vibrant public realm; • Directing municipalities to engage in an integrated approach to infrastructure planning and investment optimization as part of the land use planning process; • Achieving complete communities with access to a diverse range of housing options, protected employment zones, public service facilities, recreation and green space, and better connected transit to where people live and work; • Minimizing the negative impacts of climate change by undertaking stormwater management planning that assesses the impacts of extreme weather events and incorporates green infrastructure; and • Recognizing the importance of watershed planning for the protection of the quality and quantity of water and hydrologic features and areas.